Hi all! I would like to restart the thread with a focus on the core evolutionary intentions/meaning of Pluto transits through the houses/signs. Before we discuss specific Pluto transits within houses/signs we must first review the symbolic meaning of Pluto in the natal chart. In order to understand the symbolic meaning of Pluto (the Soul) within the natal chart we must first review the core archetype of Pluto/Scorpio/8th house from an evolutionary perspective. One of the core correlations of the Pluto/Scorpio/8th house archetype is metamorphosis beyond our pre existing limitations. There is a need to psychologically penetrate to the root, or core, causes of such limitations in order to affect growth/metamorphosis. Another essential correlation is to our desire nature. A fundamental teaching that is imparted through Evolutionary Astrology is that the Soul (Pluto) contains two co-equal yet antithetical desires within it: One to return to Source and one to separate from Source. It is the interaction of these two desires within the Soul that determines what we think we need and the actions that we then put into motion. In other words, desire is the determinate of evolution. This archetype also correlates with the awareness of higher sources of power. The desire to merge with a higher source of power is indicated as well. (Evolution occurs as the Soul begins to merge back with the Universal Creator and progressively exhausts/purges all separating desires). Pluto in the natal chart symbolizes the Soul and the dual desires within the Soul. Pluto's natal placement by house and sign symbolizes the core desires and intentions of the evolutionary past . As a result, Pluto's natal position represents a natural point of gravitation coming into the life (we all pick up where we left off and Pluto symbolizes where we will pick up in this life). Pluto correlates to the deepest sense unconscious sense of emotional security that all of us can have. Why? The root cause, or dynamic, to consider is that emotional security is linked with the need to remain self-consistent relative to what has come before (the past). In other words, self consistency is linked with the known and familiar ways of being (our past). The need to change these patterns is to threaten or challenge our deepest sense of security. Yet, in order to evolve and grow we must all embrace the need to change these patterns. It is exactly this natural process of owning the limitations of the past and the simultaneous need to create a metamorphosis of those patterns that we can experience the interaction of the dual desires within the Soul. Relative to the evolutionary process described above we can understand the core evolutionary/karmic intentions of Pluto transits. In a broad sense, Pluto transits correlate with critical time frames/junctures from an evolutionary point of view. These are times in which dynamics that are creating a situation of non-growth and stagnation within the Soul are confronted at a “bottom line” or “root” level. Pluto transits often correlate with life situations/events of very intense change and transmutation ( it maybe helpful to review the four ways Pluto affects/instigates evolutionary change in the Pluto vol 1 book). It is important to state that our experience of these often stressful and difficult life situations is based on our own desire to either move with the emerging “evolutionary current” or to maintain the security of the past via resisting the evolutionary impulse of the Pluto transits. In other words, if we approach Pluto transits with an attitude of openness and non-defensiveness towards the necessary growth that must occur then we can handle the stress and emotional pain that often surfaces at these times in a way that uses such stress in a productive and regenerative way.

Please feel free to post any questions or provide input before we move on to discussing specific Pluto transits.

At the risk of exposing my greenhorn naivete I want to share that this recent post of yours, Deva, has shifted me deeply. I tended to think only of the faster moving planets when I thought of transits......

Pluto takes so long I forget about it. Forget it is there in the huge looming background! But when I look at where Pluto is for me right now I am stunned at seeing the matrix it provides for many things that have happened and are happening in my life.

Just like Pluto shapes all the other planets in a birth chart. Of course it must shape the dance of all the transiting planets! Not just from it's place in the natal chart, but also from where it is now. Wow.

So, am I correct to assume we are going to first study transiting Pluto?

Hi, Susan. Thanks for your post about transits! Yes, we are going to start with Pluto transits to each house/sign and ruling planet (i.e, the next post is about Pluto transiting the first house or to Mars). In terms of understanding the core evolutionary intentions of Pluto transits it is important to remember that any planet that Pluto aspects through transit symbolizes a deep metamorphic process of that planetary function (Mars, Venus, Sun, etc). This process occurs, in a broad sense, through exposing and transmuting dynamics that are specifically linked with the planet that Pluto is transiting which have become limited and creating blocks towards further evolution. Please let me know if there are any questions before we move forward. Pluto transiting Mars/1st house post will be ready by Monday next week!

Before discussing the specific evolutionary intentions of Pluto transiting the 1st house or forming an aspect to Mars through transit we must review Aries/1st house/Mars archetype. We must also review the connection between the two planets Pluto and Mars. The Aries/1st house/Mars archetype correlates with a brand new cycle of evolutionary becoming. As such, the need for freedom and independence in order to discover what the new cycle is about is emphasized in this archetype. Another core correlation is self-discovery through the initiation of any actions that are deemed necessary by the individual to initiate. In other words, the need for freedom and independence is linked with the need for self-discovery and the initiation of a new evolutionary cycle (with what is to come, or in the state of continual becoming). The ability to ask and answer ones own questions from within is reflected in this archetype. Another important correlation is to fear. Fear can have many different sources and applications. A core point within this is that fear can be linked with the restriction of personal freedom and the necessary process of self-discovery. In addition, anger can manifest when this critical process is restricted. It is also important to note that anger can be inappropriately applied/projected onto others or life circumstances that appear to be the cause of such restrictions. It should be clear that anger can also have many different causes and is reflected in this archetype. (The natal house/sign position of Mars indicates the specific nature of fear). Anger can be used in a constructive or destructive manner in regards to creating positive change by becoming free from inner limitations/dynamics that are causing limitations towards further growth. In other words, anger can be used positively to accelerate growth beyond unnecessary personal limitations. It maybe helpful to review the connection between Mars and Pluto in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of this transit. Mars is the lower octave of Pluto. A lower octave is a denser expression of a higher vibration. Mars is often called the conscious expression of Pluto because the unconscious desires contained within the Soul (Pluto) are transmitted to Mars. In this way, we can become aware in a conscious way of the nature of our desires. Mars correlates with a continual state of action, or momentum in the context of the evolutionary/karmic dynamics within the natal chart The evolutionary intention/meaning, in a broad sense, of when Pluto transits the first house and/or Mars is the initiation of new actions and life direction in regards to emerging impulses and desires. The intention is to then follow and act upon these emerging impulses in order for a new evolutionary path/cycle to unfold. It can also correlate to a time frame in which is becomes necessary to act upon a core desire in a new, or reformulated manner. The core point within this is that a reformulation and re-expression of the desire nature is symbolized by Pluto/Mars/1st house transits. As such, an increasing need for freedom in order to discover what the emerging new evolutionary cycle, or what is next so speak, is commonly experienced when Mars transits the 1st house or Mars. A new aspect of the identity is also emerging, or being born into consciousness. This occurs through through the metamorphosis of limited or outdated aspect of the identity. In addition, if there as been a restriction or restraint of the expression and formation of the individual's identity then a tremendous amount of evolutionary pressure to be free form such limitations and to act upon, or peruse, the new desires that serve to signal a new life direction that will allow the necessary metamorphosis and evolutionary cycle to unfold. It is not uncommon at this time to have unresolved anger surface both from within the individual and from others with whom the individual has been involved. As mentioned before anger can be triggered when there is a perceived restriction of personal freedom. It can also be linked with the Soul's increasing need to “get on with it” so to speak, and to discover what the emerging new cycle is about. The key to resolving such anger in a positive way is to encourage the need for independent exploration, and to be free from unnecessary personal limitations that are thwarting the new evolutionary cycle from taking hold.

Please feel free to post any questions/comments about what I have written.

Hi, all. I was thinking that the best way to proceed is to have those interested in this thread to either post specific questions/area of interest relative to transits and also to reflect on the nature of their own life experience in regards to specific transits as well. Please let me know if this works for this group and feel free to post suggestions.

Hi Deva,Thank you so much for your recent posts about the Pluto transits, which are so clarifying and insightful.

I would like to contribute to this thread with a short example for the Pluto transit to the 1st House. I know a 9 years old kid who right now is experiencing a Pluto transit conjunct the Ascendant, already within his 1st House. My observation is that this transit has correlated with an intense need of the boy to assert his freedom and independence, and to learn to say ‘no’. The kid has the South Node in Libra in the 10th House ruled by Venus in the 12th House in Capricorn, relative to Pluto in the 12th House in Sagittarius-thus, he is very given to say always yes, to think of others in the first place, to always having to be in charge of others or feeling responsible of others, and to give to others to the point of exhaustion, or to withdraw altogether. Given that his North Node is in Aries in the 4th House, a core evolutionary intention of his Soul is to integrate the emotional body in the ongoing conscious awareness and within this, to integrate the energy of anger and aggression.

The day the kid and I talked about this, I observed that he was distressed and sad, however, the boy would say if asked that he was ok, or ‘super’, and seemed unable to identify what he was feeling. I asked him not to think, and to just concentrate on the energy in his throat and in his heart. Before one minute the kid started to cry intensely, and this lasted for about 15 minutes. After this the kid felt much better, and then I asked him about why he was crying. He said he didn’t know. I told him to close his eyes, and just feel the energy, and then come back with the answer. He did this for two seconds, and then he came back and explained that he was angry with his cousin of his same age. He had spent a weekend in company of his cousin and they are very close friends, however the cousin is a bit impulsive and aggressive-he has 4 planets in Aries in the 8th House- and this then allowed or triggered evolutionary needs that are being promoted by the Pluto transit (it is amazing that the boy also has a 5 years old sister who also has four planets in Aries, with natal Pluto in her 1st House).

The kid did two exercises of bioenergetics, one based on saying ‘no’, the other on saying ‘I’. He was asked to make three drawings: one of the situation and imbalance created with the cousin through of the cousin’s aggressive or pushy behavior, and the kid’s inability to stop him or run away-the kid has Saturn, ruler of the first House, in a square to the nodes, and this Saturn is in the 7th House, and Venus is in the 12th House in Capricorn, symbols of a pre-existing unresolved limits. The Saturn square to the nodes resolves through the North Node in the 4th House, reflecting that creation of limits demands to integrate the natural instinctive energy, and natural aggression. So, the second drawing was about how he would create balance in the same situation. And the 3rd was about the result or outcome or the resolved situation.

The kid was then encouraged by his family to accept that he was allowed to say ‘no’. He was explained that he is a kid, not an adult, and that he did not need to be always concerned about the rest of his family. He was also told that his parents were there to be of help to him, not viceversa.

The kid is coming out of a recent period of time when he was a bit withdrawn (before reaching the 1st House cusp, Pluto conjuncted his Venus/Mercury in Cap while transiting his 12th House, still within a 5° orb). He was a bit withdrawn for a couple of months, at home and at school, where he had very few friends, ie. two friends basically. He also was a bit afraid by school duties, which added to some other fears. And he tried during various months during the last school year, and the beginning of the current school year, to face his duties by his sole and raw effort. This was not working so good, and demanded a lot of dedication that left him quite exhausted last year- schools in this country are so stupidly demanding and charging for the kids. He inwardly repressed the fears, anguish, and feelings of aloneness because of his orientation to responsibility, and ultimate standards –Pluto 12th House, South Node in the 10th House ruled by Venus in Cap in the 12th House, etc. also of course the South Node in Libra in the 10th House, ruled by Venus in Cap in the 12th House reflects a pre-exiting dynamic of renunciation or giving up of expectations to be listened and understood for who he is and what his needs are, resulting in trying to cope alone with the whole thing, and much more. Now instead he has given himself permission to say ‘no’ to the school homework at times, and to receive help in order to do the homework in a time-efficient way. He has been explained that getting low marks is not so important by now, and that he will overcome these difficulties (his Sun is Cap in the 1st House, and he has the South Node in the 10th House, so these types of things are and probably will be important to him in some ways, even though, he has had desires in prior lifetimes to withdraw from the system altogether-thus, not doing the homework, however being all day worried about the homework). So, he is being directed and given some structure that allow him to have some work time, and some not-work time-the Pluto polarity point in the 6th House- which results in having more ‘free’ time. And he is using the Mars, 1st House energy not only in his free time, but also in applying desire in order to get the school stuff done quicker, with more energy.

The boy has also manifested some moderate though noticeable levels of the energy of anger at the mother-his North Node in the 4th House in Aries-and this looks like a type of natural energy the kid is using to ‘separate’ and individuate, and to affirm his own desires, needs and instincts, versus a dynamic of wanting to conform to the ‘expectations’ of the parents. The energy of anger is also serving him to question external authority-the 12th House Pluto in Sagittarius rules Scorpio on his 11th House cusp.

Also the overall energy level of the kid has been noted to be higher now, after a period of time when he was very tired. And he is feeling more vivacious and stronger. The compressed energy in the throat has been released to a noticeable degree, and he is speaking louder, and also shouting and singing loudly. It seems he is now speaking a lot at school with a more varied group of school friends-he has been made to change his seat various times because of this. During the build-up process of the Pluto transit he kid was bullied once at school, and this has not happened again, however he has been talked about the potential for this dynamic to occur, and what to do about it.

Here are a couple Pluto/Mars transits I have been thru and would like to share.

When I had Pluto square Mars, I attracted dangerous situations as I was a teenager and had few to no healthy boundaries which led to me associating with all sorts of people that were shady in various ways. Once, because of being so open to others, I attracted someone who wanted to buy some extra parts of my motorbike, parts I didn´t use and would of even given them away but instead ended up with a gun pointed to my head! During the whole situation of me being robbed with a gun pointed at me, I had no fear whatsoever but I had a feeling of revolt and honeslty I felt quite insulted as there was no need for what he was doing. I had no notion of the danger even as he screamed at me out of frustration as I resisted (Pluto) giving away my power and refused to give him what he asked, simply out of feeling what he was doing was plain wrong. Natal Mars is in my Second house in Taurus so it hit my value system and I resisted as much as I could. It turned out O.K in the end as I decided to give him the parts in order to end the conflict as there were more people with me and we were basically being held hostage at gunpoint. A short time later I had a motorcycle accident and fortunately wasn´t badly injured but that was the end of me and motorbikes, at least as my main form of transportation.

Amongst other things, this transit showed me my limits (Pluto) and that I needed to learn about who to trust and who not to trust, it showed me that I needed to learn about physical control of my actions as I tended to push the limits while driving and had no true notion of danger. It also showed me that I put myself in dangerous situations without any notion of what I could be getting into and that I had to be careful with what I did as it could also involve other people that were innocent, like when I was robbed at gunpoint.

When Pluto trined my natal Mars it was like the Universe picked me up out of the blue and brought me good opportunities for advancement within the music scene. I met someone who offered me to play abroad and then things started rolling in a way that I felt massive support and was able to build a name for myself in the music scene and, went to the top of the agency which I was working with. Mars rules my Tenth house. The boss once said “ you couldn´t of gone higher or faster”. I also felt at that time that I evolved quite a bit in my Martial Arts training and managed to acquire some good studio gear to make music with (Second house).

Hi Gonzalo and Skywalker- thanks for your participation on this thread! You have both provided very insightful posts about Pluto through the 1st house/Mars transits. Gonzalo- in the example you gave one additional comment I have is about the possibility of breaking out of culturally defined gender assignments/expectations (South Node in Libra/10th house- North Node in Aries/4th house) and being able able to define on his own terms what is right for him via owning his own natural voice and emotional expression as you have described. The natal chart reflects the possibility of cultural definitions and expectations that have been enforced upon him within the family environment (Saturn in the 7th house square the nodal axis of Libra/10th house- Aries in the 4th house). In other words, part of recovering the skipped steps indicated in Saturn square the nodal axis is being able to say "no" when a cultural/familial expectation is enforced upon him, and also to own his natural emotional expression/body that is independent from these types of definitions and expectations. This will allow a natural integration of the inner male/female to occur over time relative to the 10th/4th nodal axis and square to Saturn in the 7th house. Potentially extreme expressions of behavior could also be brought into a state of balance as this process occurs. The main point within this is that the Pluto transit in the 1st house/Cap indicates that a natural unfolding/recovery of his identity is to "own" and "voice" this aspect of himself and to create a boundary with others who attempt to enforce their own expectations of who he should be and how he should develop/express his voice. A new cycle of becoming can occur for him if he continues this process of self-recovery and authentic self-development.

Hi Skywalker- this is a great example of how Pluto transits can manifest in terms of attracting a dangerous situation in which we must make a boundary with those who are aggressively asserting their own needs in unhealthy ways. The vibration of our own fear to assert make this boundary can sometimes lead to attracting situations in which me must instantaneously do so because our survival is threatened (Mars in Taurus is a great example to use to illustrate this point). In this example, you honored your instinctual response (i.e, how to resolve the situation with minimal conflict) and thankfully emerged unharmed! In both posts you followed your instinctual responses how the right way to act and had positive results. In addition- your examples illustrate that the potential for stressful experiences is indicated when Pluto makes a stressful aspect to Mars and that non-stressful aspects to Mars indicate the potential for experiences that allow a new cycle of becoming to occur as a new opportunity opening up very quickly.

Thank you Deva for the feedback, I hope others will also contribute with their insights or personal experiences.

I´d like to add that with Pluto Mars/First house transits, there may be the intense desire to break free and start a new cycle even though the direction of the new cycle may be unknown. This can cause the individual to want forward movement away from their current circumstances but not really know how to do so. This not knowing can lead to frustration and anger if the impulse to act and break new ground is not acted upon or satisfied in some way.In others, the desire for growth can be so strong that the individual just wants to get on with it whole heartedly and jumps right into the new experiences and yet in others, there can be resistance to the evolutionary impulse to go in any direction at all, as to do so implies leaving that which is familiar behind and thus creates insecurity.

Hi DevaThanks so much for the additional feedback. I will observe/inquire how this dynamic manifests in the kid's psyche. It is an emphasized theme because of all the 10th/4th House, Capricorn/Cancer, and the Libra/7th House.God Bless, Gonzalo